Conventional telecommunications switching systems employ centralized switching facilities which result in undesirable lengthy switching paths. Therefore, it is desirable to implement distributed telecommunications switching systems which do not require centralized switching facilities. However, elaborate management systems normally are required in order to provide users and operators with the ability to control, configure and monitor the various switches and other components which make up a typical distributed telecommunications switching system. For example, an operator or user must be able to control, configure and monitor a distributed switching system's individual application cards, as well as the communication busses which interconnect those application cards.
Conventional distributed telecommunications switching systems use dedicated Operational Support Systems ("OSSs") and relatively complex and cryptic command-driven user interface systems in order to provide users with the ability to control, configure and monitor distributed switching systems. These dedicated OSSs are cumbersome to develop, maintain, upgrade and expand upon. Additionally, the command-driven user interfaces are relatively cryptic, cumbersome, non-intuitive and difficult for users to learn and use.
Because these command-driven user interfaces use cryptic text-based commands to run the necessary applications, they tend to be error-prone and require a great deal of training to learn and to use. Further, whenever command-driven user interfaces are modified or upgraded, users of the interfaces will require additional training in using the new or modified applications, as well as in using the associated text-based commands necessary to run those applications. Therefore, a need has arisen for a distributed telecommunications switching system having a user interface which is driven by a combination of user-friendly graphical displays and menus, and which therefore is easier to use and is less error-prone than command-driven user interfaces.